Steam-operated rotating combustion chamber



Jan. 2, 1951 R. H. GODDARD STEAM-OPERATED ROTATING coMBusTloN CHAMBER Filed Jan. 2, 1948 INVENTOR. jPozijijoddmd, Dead 5775,63 060mm iran-35X ATTORNEYS UNITED l STATES 7 OFFICE STEAM-OPERATEDROTATING COMBUSTIONCHAMBER Robert H. ,'Goddard, deceased, ,late of Annapolis, Md., by Esther IC. Goddard, execlitrix, Worcester, Mass., assigner of one-half toThe Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 2, 1948, Serial No. 79

(Cl. fio-35.6)

2 claims. l

This invention relates to rotating combustion chambers as used in rockets vand rocket craft and in which a blast of combustion gases is discharged through a rearwardly projecting nozzle.

It is one object of the present invention to l provide improved means for rotating the comand combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a rotating combustion chamber embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse sectional elevation, taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of certain parts to be described.

Referring to the drawing, a rotating combustion chamber C is shown which comprises oppositely facing chamber walls l and The wall I0 may be supported on an ignition device |2, which in turn is rotatably mounted in a supporting thrust bearing |4. The chamber Wall is connected into a tapered discharge nozzle N.

A casing encloses a portion of the chamber wall Ill and provides a jacket space S to which gasoline may be supplied through a nozzle 22. A

casing 24 encloses a portion ofthe vchamber wall .-I'l and provides a jacket space S' to which liquid oxygen may be supplied throughv a nozzle 26.

Outer casing members and 3| are separated by an annular partition 32 and provide jacket spaces S2 and S3 which may be supplied with cooling water through nozzles 35 and 36. The outer casing members 30 and 3| may be reenforced by a criss-cross winding of piano wire as indicated at 54, and a bearing 38 supports the outer casing 3|.

Radiating partitions 40, 4|, 42 and 43 are provided in the jacket spaces S, S', S2 and S3 and l are effective in holding the chamber walls I0 and the jacket casings 20 and 24, andthe outer casing members 30 and 3| all in definite spaced relation.

The inner ends of the partitions or vanes 40, 4 I,

, 42 and 43 are preferably curved forward in the direction of rotation as indicated in Fig. 3, so that injected liquids will be more quickly and easily picked up and directed outward by centrifugal force in the jacket space portions between adjacent partitions.

2 A plurality of reaction nozzles (Figs. 1 and 2) are mounted in a circumferential series about the outer casing members 3|) and 3| of the rotating combustion chamber C and communicate with the chamber through ports or openings 52.

Gasoline from the space S is sprayed into the combustion chamber C through spray openings 60, and liquid oxygen from the space S' is similarly sprayed into the chamber C through spray openings 6|. As the mass of oxygen required for complete combustion is muchv larger than the mass of gasoline, the spray openings 6| are preferably more numerous than the spray openings 60, and the oxygen sprays are directed away from the nozzle N.

The mixed combustion liquids and vapors will thus be directed toward and ignited by the igniter I2, and the combustiongases Will be discharged through the nozzle N as is usual in rocket propulsion.

The cooling water in the spaces S2 and S3 is forced outward by centrifugal force and becomes highly heated from the hot combustion gases in the chamber C. Mixed Water and steam is then discharged into the outerperipheral portion of the chamber C through port openings 65 and 66, where it is immediately turned .to highly heated steam which escapes through the ports 52- Ato the nozzles 50. A mixture of steamand'combustion gasesy then escapes to the atmosphere through chamber without the application of external power. A rotating combustion chamber unit of high efficiency and unusual simplicity is thus achieved.

Having thus described the invention andthe advantages thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth inl the claims, but what is claimed is:

l. In combustion apparatus comprising a rotating combustion chamber of generally bulbous form and a rearwardly-directed discharge nozzle and means to feed fuel and oxidizer to said combustion chamber, in combination, jacket means to cool the Wall of saidcombustion chamber, means to discharge a cooling liquid from the peripheral portion of said jacket means to the peripheral portion of said combustion chamber, a

plurality of chamber-rotating nozzles mounted on said combustion chamber, and means to discharge a mixture of steam and combustion gases from the peripheral portion of said combustion chamber to said latter nozzles, said nozzles traversing the Jacket means, and the outer end portions of said nozzles constituting substantially elongated cones which discharge tangentially to the periphery or said combustion chamber at its point of largest diameter.

2. In combustion apparatus comprising a rotating combustion chamber of generally bulbous form and having a rearwardly-directed discharge nozzle and means to feed fuel and oxidizer to said combustion chamber, in combination, a Jacket for said combustion chamber, means to supply a cooling liquid to said jacket adjacent the axis of said combustion chamber, partition means providing radial jacket spaces in which said liquid is forced outward by centrifugal force, means to spray said liquid into the peripheral portion of said combustion chamber, a plurality of chamber-rotating nozzles mounted on said rotating chamber, and communicating connections from the peripheral portion of said chamber .to

REFERENCES man The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,677.198 Naileigh July 17, 1928 1,945,608 Hill Feb. 8, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,497 Great Britain Nov. 8. 1858 OTHER REFERENCES Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences. issued June 1936, page 289, The Design of a Stratosphere Rocket," by Alfred Africano. 

